Hair-y bad news again for Nutrilinks as EFSA rejects 2 more health claims

The two food constituents in question this time are KF2BL20 and a combination of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, D-biotin and pumpkin seed oil.

Hair maintenance​

KF2BL20 is a combination of keratin, copper, zinc, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and D-biotin, and the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related the maintenance of normal hair.

The claimed effect is that the food “helps to reinforce hair strength and normal hair function and contributes to reduce hair loss”, ​targeting healthy adults in the general population.

Nutrilinks identified one unpublished study as being pertinent to the health claim; which was a one arm (no control group) intervention in 20 female subjects who consumed for 90 days a food which had the same composition, and thus provided the same amounts of keratin, copper, zinc, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and D-biotin, as the food of which is the subject of the claim.

NDA dismissed the study as inconclusive, along with the claim, as causality had not been demonstrated.

Hair loss reduction? Really?​

The second constituent to fall foul of EFSA’s tests was the thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, D-biotin and pumpkin seed oil combination, which sought substantiation for claims that it contributes to reduce hair loss and increases the number of hairs.

One publication was put forward as being pertinent to the health claim; however it did not use the food which is the subject of the claim but rather another commercial product, which NDA took issue to as the information provided was insufficient to establish that the product used in the study complied with the specifications of the food which is the subject of the claim.

In typically similar fashion, NDA ruled that inconclusive evidence was provided, and the combination was to suffer the same fate as KF2BL20

Keeps happening​

The latest rulings come only shortly after the same company had two skin health claims rejected for two of its products.

EFSA rejected two claims submitted by Nutrilinks​ that sought to link skin permeability barrier function and skin hydration to two different food constituents.

The two constituents in question were identified as a flaxseed oil and vitamin E combination, and hyaluronic acid; both of which had their claims rejected for inconclusive evidence.